This invention relates to a distress sign for use by stranded motorists, and, more particularly, to such a sign assembly that may be easily stowed and carried in an automobile, and quickly assembled when the need arises.
Distress signs for use with automobiles and the like are not new. The prior art is replete with various types of such signs, designed to be mounted or held on some portion of the vehicle when in use. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,126 of Hicks, a box containing warning signs is designed to have its lid open to display the sign with the box itself held in place by a rib extending into the slot created by the junction of the trunk lid and body of the car. The signs themselves are unrolled and made to hang over the lid. Another such device using a mechanical connection to the car is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,849, where a triangular holding member clips to the window of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,811 of Alsup discloses a box containing a frame member for holding the sign, wherein the box is mounted on the car by magnetic means. The frame that holds the sign consists of metallic rod members which must be assembled to create a platform for the sign. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,438 of Carroll et al discloses a sign which is simply a triangular plate held in place on the vehicle body by a magnet. In order that the sign be visible to approaching motorists, the plate must be placed on a vertical or steeply sloping portion of the car body, which places the sign too low to be easily seen.
While it is desirable to have the sign as high as possible for maximum visibility, mounting the sign on the roof of the car with magnets, as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,151 of Dexter, means that it will be subjected to winds and the drafts created by passing vehicles, causing it to be unstable and subject to being blown over. Dexter attempts to obviate this through the use of a long magnetic member fitted into a groove on the bottom surface of a base member. The sign comprises a board fitted into a slot in the base member. Such an arrangement only partially solves the problem since the sign board is mounted on the base in such a way that it increases the wind resistance of the assembly, thus partly offsetting the advantage of the overly large magnet.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a distresss sign assembly that can be mounted on top of a vehicle and yet is capable of withstanding the winds and drafts commonly encountered.
It is another object of the invention to provide a distress sign assembly that can be easily assembled and disassembled into a flat, compact package for easy stowage and transport.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a distress sign assembly that is capable of displaying messages whose length is not limited by the structure of sign holding portion of the assembly.
Another object of the invention is to provide a distress sign assembly that does not require large magnets for firm and stable mounting of the assembly on the roof of a vehicle.